Uttama Villain - "An Emotionally Captivating Offering Marginally Letdown In Parts"

[AfsalTouchriver]

Uttama Villain
Theatre::New Cinemas,Thodupuzha
Date::03/05/15
Show::11:15 AM
Status::55%

~Review~
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"An Emotionally Captivating Offering From Ulaganayagan Marginally Letdown By Half-Baked Period Segment"

How well can the 'Legend' Kamal Hassan handle emotional sequences with atmost perfection - Uttama Villain is the answer.An intensely packed story about a superstar which often gives an aura of Ulaganayagan self-reflecting himself,Uttama Villain is a brilliantly penned meta-film that couldn't make the intentional impact because of mediocre direction and careless handling of cinema inside cinema.

The story moves in two parallel tracks-
The primary track has an autobiographical feel with many sequences reminding of Kamal's own illustrious carrier and personal life,depicting protagonist Manoranjan's relationship with his wife,kids and his mentor Marghadarsi[portrayed by Kamal's real-life guru late K. Balachander].This particular portion cleverly portrays the struggles and sacrifices that a hero has to make for attaining and maintaining his stardom depicting the personal life and emotions of Manoranjan.The part can boast of some exceptional sequences that displays meticulous brilliance of Ulaganayagan and are sure to make our eyes wet like the scene in the beginning were Manoranjan meets Margadhasi and the emotionally brimming conversation between Manoranjan and his son.

The second track presents a folklore based comedy about 'Uttaman' who has been blessed with immortality.This part that generously used Senthamizh language failed to meet the brilliance of the real life part with tacky visual effects,numerous unwanted lengthy sequences and dull comic numbers.Had this part been presented better,the movie coud have easily joined the league of all time favourites from Kamal.

Ramesh Aravind who has given some notable hits in Sandalwood like Rama Shama Bhama have done a really good job presenting the real life sequences with required perfection,but the reel life sequences required a more inspired narrator who could have lifted the quality of the movie a level.The most important thing was to join the thin line between reel and real lifes for the fulfillment of the basic idea which the movie couldn't triumph comprehensively,the reason why a large section of the audience have opinions touching the negative side.Added to this the slow pace of the narration and the lengthy duration of almost 172 minutes may not be suitable for normal front bench audience looking for just entertainment.

Kamal Hassan was simply brilliant as always and played both Manoranjan and Uttaman excellently.The brilliance that he showed during the emtional sequences deserves a standing ovation that it could touch the audience heart in a flash.I always considered Pooja Kumar as an actress below par,but she surpised me with a matured performance particularly as 'Karpagavalli' in the Uttaman story.Andrea as Dr Aparna and M.s Bhaskar as Manornajan's P.A Chokku were impressive.Jayaram,Urvashi,Nassar and Parvtahy Nair too made their presence felt by good supporting performances.Last but not least,K.Balachander sir made his last act memorable handling the emotional sequences with perfection.

Young music director Ghibran can be proud of the fact that his songs and score play a major role right through the narration with the songs 'Kadhalaam Kadavul' and 'Loveeaa' being the picks from the album.

Overall,Uttama Villain is an intense take on superstardom and mortality that can cater to movie buffs and the fans of Ulaganayagan.

Performances
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*Kamal Haasan was brilliant as both Manoranjan and Uttaman.
*Pooja Kumar,Andrea and M.S Bhaskar were impressive.
*Jayram,Nassar,Urvashi etc gave good supporting performances alongside Late K.Balachander sir who easily pulled off his character with a notable performance.

Some +Ves ::
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*Kamal Hassan's Performance.
*Music & Score.
*Emotional Sequences.
*The Basic Idea.

Some -Ves::
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*Slow Pace.
*Duaration.
*Uttaman's Story.

Verdict::Uttama Villain presents a sharp contrast between immortality and mortality throwing light on the life and emotions of a superstar.The execution of the thought being slightly on the lower side than one would associate with a Kamal movie and being devoid of usual masala elements,the movie is recommended only for the diehards of the actor and movie buffs who can sit through long 172 minutes.Hats off to the acting brilliance of Kamal Hassan watching whom on big screen alone is sheer pleasure!
Ma Rating::6.5/10
_Afsal

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